Atelier Cologne Mistral Patchouli

Chanel Chance was my very first perfume, but the original Prada fragrance was the first perfume I ever really loved. That Prada is an absolute patchouli boooomb, as described by the following horrified MakeupAlley review: “It smells like a chain-smoker and an alcoholic, who hasn’t showered in days, eats spicy food every day, and decided to mask it with a perfume.” (All credit to poetic user “happygirl1”.) I mention this to prove my patchouli cred. I am a hardened patchouli veteran, and I was ready for whatever version of patchouli Mistral Patchouli had to offer me. You can imagine how disappointed I was when I realized that out of all of the possible patchouli fragrances that Atelier Cologne could have made, they went with a “where’s the patchouli?” patchouli.

Mistral Patchouli’s most prominent notes are grapefruit and “fraction of patchouli”. As far as I know, this is a novel combination, and in theory I like it very much. In execution, however, Mistral Patchouli is just too damn clean. The grapefruit note lacks the vibrance of past fruity Atelier Colognes, such as Orange Sanguine. The patchouli is much too sheer and is so far removed from the natural earthiness of patchouli that the relation is barely visible. Robin at Now Smell This correctly labels Mistral Patchouli as “a patchouli for patchouli haters” in her review, and mentions that this is now her favorite fragrance of the line. I have to say that it’s my least favorite. There’s nothing wrong with Mistral Patchouli. It smells very nice. But it just doesn’t have as much character as past Atelier Colognes like Orange Sanguine, Vanille Insensee, or Rose Anonyme. I think I’ll stick with my alcoholic/chain-smoker patchoulis.

Confession: the husband is getting Vetiver Fatale for Valentine’s Day. I was sorely tempted to get the 200mL, because if you order through the website, they’ll send you a free 30mL with a 200mL order. And I could have gotten Sous le Toit. But I restrained myself and got the 100mL for him, which is more realistic anyway. I’ll get a sample of Sous le Toit somehow.

I must say the Atelier Cologne range does not really do it for me, and Mistral Patchouli is no exception. And I, like you, prefer my patchouli present, and very much so ^_^
Also, Mistral Patchouli would bear, to my nose at least, an uncanny resemblance to Navegar by Olivia Giacobetti for L’Artisan Parfumeur, if it were not for smelling more like a base than like a finished fragrance…a flaw it shares with its Atelier Cologne counterparts, in my view.

Hmm, “a chain-smoker and an alcoholic, who hasn’t showered in days, eats spicy food every day, and decided to mask it with a perfume”? She says that like it’s a BAD thing! It could describe my favorite category of perfumes.

But I kid (only partly). I am known to love some heavy-hitting ‘fumes, and I like my patchouli undiluted. Happygirl1 probably wears Pink Sugar – not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Thank you for the link! Oh, I wish I could have gotten more anise like you did. One of my favorite notes. This fractionated patchouli seems really popular these days, and since both you and Robin enjoyed it, I bet that Mistral Patchouli will have a lot of fans!

I like my patchouli dark and unwashed hippy from the 60’s. So I’m gonna guess this one won’t do it for me. Hehe. I’ve tired of my Vanille Insensee and will probably sell it. These Atelier’s don’t seem to last as long as I would like on my skin.

I like dirty patchoulis. My favorite is CDG Luxe Patchouli – a birthday gift from my patchouli-loving husband after we both loved my sample.
Grapefruit and patchouli?? How does this work??
Must try Prada now!